A Light Within the Darkness
by Tristian Sly Tail
Summary: Lucario has been chased for the treasure she carries. Never once has anyone come so close to stealing it. Just in the nick of time she caame across the Chosen One. He helps her and brings her back to full health. But complications soon arise. She has fallen in love with him. Will they overcome boundries or will the love be unrequitted?
1. Chapter 1

I know that I still have two other stories to write (and they do have more attention on them than this one does), but this was something I found and now I'd like to keep it going! This one will have bigger gaps between updates because Compass Point, and Musician of Sorrow will be taking more of my time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

She ran.

Leaves wave in her wake, black paws kissing the earth below like raindrops before taking to the trees, trying to shake her pursuers. But the monferno was fast and easily followed as she leapt from branch to branch, from tree to tree. Mankeys leap from her path, chittering but staying away. They know she is strong, and her hunter stronger still.

An angry roar, the Flame Wheel misses but the heat of it's passing still singes her tail. The monferno's master wants her treasure. His Aura is repulsive, stinking of greed and corruption. Something flashes across her senses, another Aura, but different. It is raw, untrained. It is _pure_ and _active._ It's not far. Desperate, her Aura lashes forward. _Half a mile east. A meadow. Help._ She changes her course. If they are the same, if the Aura receives hers ...

* * *

Mid-step, he froze.

The desperation, the _fear_ sears through him like a hot spear. A heartbeat later he's running. Weaving between the trees and clamouring ungracefully over logs. His ears do not, cannot hear the confused shouts of his friends over the rushing blood. He does not feel the tiny, sharp claws of his pikachu digging into his skin. He feels only the Aura and how it guides him unerringly through the thick forest. Nidoran watch as he sprints by, their senses tell them he has no interest in them. The trees open and reveal a meadow, he bursts through into it and, guided by the Aura, turns to the north.

A pillar of fire, a Fire Spin, erupts through the canopy and towers high. He knows whatever made it is strong, that it's originator is no wild pokemon.

"Buizel! Water Gun!"

"Bui!" The water opens a hole in the wall of flame, a badly singed lucario clutching something leaps through and lands in front of him. Their eyes meet, their Auras mingle, and he _knows_ ...

* * *

Fire surrounded her.

She couldn't move without the risk of touching the wall. She hung her head, she'd failed to protect her treasure, her egg. The meadow was so close ...!

Over the roar of the flame, a human voice. The fire hissed and sputtered angrily as it died and revealed green beyond! She leaps with everything she has left and looks up. A human! But not the one chasing her ... could it be ...? Her Aura touches his and it's the one! She feels the honesty, the traces left by Lugia, Celebi. By Latias and Deoxys and another Lucario. She lingers on the touch of the lucario, it is well trained and powerful. Coming to the fore are the traces of yet more of the legends, of Manaphy, Darkrai and Shaymin. They trusted this human, and so would she. She places her treasure in his hands, she can feel his confusion.

"Why me?"

Her hunters are close, as she leaves, unburdened but still wounded, she reflects the trust of the legends to him, magnified so that he feels them as clearly as she. Her trust is in there as well, and her gratitude.

* * *

_Run run run run ...!_

His adrenaline surges as the memory of her flight pulls him in. Suddenly he's the one running, looking back, avoiding the unforgiving flames of the monferno. He's feeling as lucario does, he's feeling his own Aura from lucario's perspective and feeling the rush of hope fill his heart.

He sees the hope as lucario gives him the egg. He still doesn't understand why, so he asks. Lucario flees, but Aura washes over him again and he feels the trust, he remembers the legendary pokemon who trusted him. Lucario wants him to hide, to not draw attention to himself or the new life he now holds.

The sounds of a vicious battle breaks the silence, and he wants so badly to run toward it, to help ...! It takes gritted teeth, hunched shoulders, shadowed eyes and clenched fists to turn and walk away.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I own the plot line of this story.

This is unbeta'd. Please forgive any mistakes, I'm looking for a beta.

* * *

_Her Aura touches his and it's the one! She feels the honesty, the traces left by Lugia, Celebi. By Latias and Deoxys and another Lucario. She lingers on the touch of the lucario, it is well trained and powerful. Coming to the fore are the traces of yet more of the legends, of Manaphy, Darkrai and Shaymin. They trusted this human, and so would she. She places her treasure in his hands, she can feel his confusion._

_"Why me?"_

_Her hunters are close, as she leaves, unburdened but still wounded, she reflects the trust of the legends to him, magnified so that he feels them as clearly as she. Her trust is in there as well, and her gratitude._

**VV**  
_  
He sees the hope as lucario gives him the egg. He still doesn't understand why, so he asks. Lucario flees, but Aura washes over him again and he feels the trust, he remembers the legendary pokemon who trusted him. Lucario wants him to hide, to not draw attention to himself or the new life he now holds._

_The sounds of a vicious battle breaks the silence, and he wants so badly to run toward it, to help ...! It takes gritted teeth, hunched shoulders, shadowed eyes and clenched fists to turn and walk away._

* * *

Walking away had been the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He'd always helped pokemon in trouble, but this time he was incapable.

He wasn't strong enough, and not only that, he'd been given an egg to take care of. That Lucario had run off with a certain urgency. It told him not to follow, but instead, it told him to run the other way.

Now, Ash had another purpose to fufill. This time, he knew, he couldn't simply fight his way out as a trainer. He had to learn something more.

His dream of becoming a Pokemon Master would have to be put on hold. If not discontinued. This dream no longer served a purpose. What good would it do for him when he actually reached it? What would he do then? One day, yes, he would reclaim his dream, but for now, he'd start traveling to Almia.

To the School for Pokemon Rangers.

* * *

Using what little energy she had left, she charged up one more Aura Sphere, hoping it would be enough to make the Monferno faint. She turned around and threw it.

Turning back she ran as fast as she could to find a hiding place. Not hearing any footsteps behind her, she backtracked and made a few false trails to follow. One to the East and one to the North. They'd come from the West and probably expected she'd keep going East, so instead she went South. Heading towards Sunyshore City, she made sure to leave different trails just incase they figured it out.

Panting, she reached the city. Thanking Arceus, the doors of the pokemon center opened before her and she fell through them.

Before the Lucario had fainted, she heard a gasp and a rush of feet. Then, the blackness consumed her.

* * *

**Back At Camp...  
**

"I'm leaving guys. I've told you a million times already. What more do you want from me?" Ash told them.

"An explination of why would be nice!" Dawn was tapping her foot impatiently on the ground.

"I don't want to be a Pokemon Master anymore! Is that good enough!"

"No! The Ash we know wouldn't do this, he said he'd never give up on being a Pokemon Master." she yelled in his face.

"I've given up on that dream because I have a more important one now!" the boy yelled back.

"And what in Arceus's name would that be!" Dawn was ready to burst, she was so angry.

"I'm going to be a Ranger since you wanna know so badly!"

Seeing his female travelling companion had nothing to say, he turned on his heel and started walking away once more. This would be the second hardest thing he'd ever done, Ash decided. Right now he was leaving his life long dream behind as he walked away from his two current companions. One day, he would come back to the Sinnoh region to pick his dream up once more, but now was not the time.

"A Ranger? Why would you all of a sudden leave your biggest dream here, to be a Ranger of all things?" asked Dawn.

"Something happened yesterday. It made me realize that there are things out there that are worse than Jessie and James! Being a Ranger, that could change something. So, I'm going to catch the first boat I can back to Kanto, I'll go home for a few weeks, and then leave for Almia."

"Then let me come along Ash. I'd be glad to go with you. Being an Operator is something I could do, I know I wouldn't be suited for being a Ranger. I can be a Breeder and an Operator at the same time." Brock went running after Ash.

"Okay. Then let's go. You're welcome to come with us to the next town Dawn. You'd be on your own from there, but you'll be able to contact your mom."

Defeated, Dawn sighed and said,"Okay, I won't be able to snap you out of this, so I'll have to go along for now."

"Then it's settled, we'll drop you off at the next town."


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to those who've reviewed! I appreciate it! This concludes my short Author's Note, thanks!

* * *

**Recap...**

_"Then let me come along Ash. I'd be glad to go with you. Being an Operator is something I could do, I know I wouldn't be suited for being a Ranger. I can be a Breeder and an Operator at the same time." Brock went running after Ash._

_"Okay. Then let's go. You're welcome to come with us to the next town Dawn. You'd be on your own from there, but you'll be able to contact your mom."_

_Defeated, Dawn sighed and said,"Okay, I won't be able to snap you out of this, so I'll have to go along for now."_

_"Then it's settled, we'll drop you off at the next town."_

* * *

**Present Time...**

Starting off after cleaning up their campsite at the Lake Valor lakefront, the gang started of for Pastoria City. The entirety of the walk back was unusually silent, no one willing to speak.

The time it took them to get to Pastoria was tense. Even the Pokémon could feel it within their pokeballs.

The trio had arrived at the city without interruption at 10:00. Not bothering to speak, Ash headed towards the Pokémon Center so he could have the egg checked out.

"Hey Ash, where are you going?" asked Brock.

"I'm going to the Pokémon Center real quick. I wanna have this egg that I found checked out. Then I'm gonna call my mom and tell her that we'll be home soon. Do you think you could go buy tickets?"

"Sure." Facing his other companion, he asked,"What about you Dawn? What are you gonna do?"

"I'm not sure. I might just get some supplies and head out on my own. I don't think I could find Zoey for a while anyways. Maybe get in touch with her though, then we could travel together."

"Alright then. I'll be back soon with the tickets okay Ash?"

"Sure. C'mon Dawn. Might as well have the others healed too, right?" with a smile, Ash turned and walked into the building without waiting for an answer. Huffing at his impatience, Dawn soon followed.

Waving, Ash shouted,"Hey Nurse Joy!"

She looked up from the computer she'd been working on to look for who called her. Nurse Joy was surprised to find Ask Ketchum running up to her.

"Hello again Ash. I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing here? Didn't you just leave town yesterday?"

Looking a bit sheepish, Ash replied,"Yeah, but I decided last night to head back home. I found an egg just before that though and I was wondering if you could check it out to see if it's okay?"

"Well of course. It's my job after all. Now let me see the egg please."

Beaming at her, Ash took off his backpack and unzipped it. Taking out the egg he handed it to her. The egg was blue and black. The black on it was shaped in a wierd pattern at the bottom. It looked like a black circle with lightning coming out of it. Somewhat like the sun did in some ancient painting the nurse had seen.

"Do you know what Pokemon this might be?"

"I think that it might be a Lucario egg. I'm not really sure." he lied.

Nurse Joy looked at the egg for a minute before disappearing into a different room. A couple minutes later, she came back with the egg in an incubator.

"As far as I can tell, it looks just fine. Just keep it as warm as you can all right?"

"Of course Nurse Joy! I'll give it all I've got!"

"Hey, Ash. I just wanted to say, thanks. Thanks for everything. You're a great friend and I hope that one day, we might meet again. You too Pikachu. Good luck to the both of you."

"Same goes for me Dawn. There's nothing better than a friendly reunion. Sure, it'll a bit lonely for now, but just wait. You'll make lots more friends as you travel."

Then Ash turned, leaving Dawn there as he parted with her. He could faintly hear Pikachu speaking in the background but all he could hear as he raced away from the Pokémon Center was the wind rushing past him. With a smile on his face he went down to the docks to find Brock. He found him sitting on a bench looking out at the water.

"Hey Brock, I'm here!"

The man smiled as he saw our resident hero running up to him, frowning when he saw the egg incubator.

Pointing at the incubator he asked,"Where'd you get that Ash? You didn't have it last night."

"Actually, I did. It was just in my bag. I found it in the forest. Now c'mon Brock, we gotta get to the boat."

"Alright Ash! Just wait up, you don't even know which one it is!"

Exasperated, Brock ran right after his companion to make sure he didn't get lost.

* * *

**Next Time: The Boat Home**

**_Our heros travel home in preparation to head off for Almia. Brock isn't so sure of this new idea of being an operator. He wants to support Ash and his new dream of becoming a ranger, but he becomes insecure. What if he isn't cut out for the job? Nothing worries him more than not being able to help his friend._**

_**Ash is excited to see the egg hatch, a bit overeager to get home, and (seemingly) ready to leave home once more for a new task. Ready to conquer the unknown, he prepares for a new life. One filled with even more evil than just Team Rocket. Well, more than Jessie, James, and Meowth to be more accurate. Saving the world seems to be his life's purpose, but with the new job will there be even grater risks?**_

_**Brock is getting cold feet. Check out next time to see if he makes it or chickens out.**_  
_**Ash is getting excited. Will he make it or break it at Ranger School?**_


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! I'm finally back! I've had no time and absolutely no inspiration lately, but I figured I might at least try. There's no harm in that, right?

Anyways, we're going to be skipping over the long boat ride home from Sinnoh. Instead, we'll have our two heroes arriving at the docks and their trip home. Sorry to disappoint you if you expected something significant to happen on the boat or even if you just wanted to see what would happen there. Another btw, Ash is 11 and Brock is 14 right now in this story. We can't exactly tell their ages since they never seem to change (damn writers), so I'm giving them ages.

On with the story! :)

* * *

**Recap:**

_"Hey Brock, I'm here!"_

_The man smiled as he saw our resident hero running up to him, frowning when he saw the egg incubator._

_Pointing at the incubator he asked,"Where'd you get that Ash? You didn't have it last night."_

_"Actually, I did. It was just in my bag. I found it in the forest. Now c'mon Brock, we gotta get to the boat."_

_"Alright Ash! Just wait up, you don't even know which one it is!"_

_Exasperated, Brock ran right after his companion to make sure he didn't get_ _lost_.

* * *

**Present Time...**

Running off the ship, Ash started jumping in excitement.

"It's great to be home! Don't you agree Brock?"

Next off the gangplank came Brock. He was slower than Ash but just as excited to be returning home.

"It really is great to be back. I can't wait to see my family again, even if it has only been two or three months. You ready to head on home there buddy?"

"Oh yeah! Most defiantly! I've been waiting two weeks for this!" barely containing his excitement, Ash started running off in the general direction of Pallet Town.

Calling out in distress Brock yelled,"Hey, wait up!" and ran after Ash once more.

By the time Brock had caught up to Ash, he was breathless and about to fall over. Yet there Ash was standing tall, trying to remember which way to go. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers with a bright look on his face. Then took off again in another direction, heading for the paths that would take them home.

*Pant**Pant*

"Why does he have to be so energetic?"

*Pant**Pant*

And so, Brock took off again, trying to catch up to our resident hero.

"ASH! Wait up!"

Hearing his friend's cry, Ash stopped running and turned his head.

"What's wrong Brock?"

"You gotta slow down Ash. I can't keep up."

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with a slight blush on his face Ash said,"Sorry there Brock. I just got a bit ahead of myself there. I'm all excited to get home."

"I can see that. Now why don't you work on containing your excitement for once?"

"I can try, but I doubt this will get anywhere. Besides, with how fast I was running, we're already almost half way home!"

"I see that Ash but if we keep going like this, I'll pass out from exhaustion. And you wouldn't want that because then who would cook you a delicious lunch when you got hungry?"

Finally giving into Brock, Ash slowed down to a steady speed. After all, the best way to get to Ash, was through his stomach.

Walking down the paths of the Kanto region brought back many memories of their first adventures together. Some, were just better left unmentioned. Especially, when it came to Brock...and girls. At least back then they had good old Misty to harp on him for it. Then there was May. But after May, came Crogunk. And we all know that the toad Pokemon defiantly wouldn't be leaving her trainer's side any time soon.

Other times were just plain weird. Team Rocket and their schemes to take Pikachu were moments that built trust between the trainer and his Pokemon. Some schemes were underhanded and sneaky and others just plain awkward. Nonetheless, they made for memories they'd all cherish. They'd be stories to tell their children and their children's children when the time came and nothing could have made the two former trainers happier.

Soon though, they'd be making even more stories and legends of themselves as Ash became a ranger and Brock as he became an operator and part-time breeder. They still had their whole lives ahead of them after all. Ash was still 11 with his birthday only three months away and Brock was 14. There was nothing stopping them from fulfilling their dreams and saving the world time and time again.

Who knows, what destiny has in store for our two heros?


End file.
